30 May EdTech Times – Prepr Foundation Raises $10,000 for Open Education and Joins the Open Courseware Consortium

Prepr is building a social learning community and has committed to providing all content for free through Creative Commons and Open Courseware Consortium.
Prepr Foundation is developing a social learning community, Open Prepr, after raising $10,000 through crowdfunding this month. In contrast to other open education platforms, this is a grassroots community initiative that is by the people, for the people.

Over the course of two months, the community generously supported the creation of Open Prepr with funding and feedback. Donations came from people of all walks of life and ranged from $10 to $2500, including many gifts from students, and several large contributions from consulting firms, Chagpar & Associates (C&A) and Eosensa. Prepr Co-founder, Salar Chagpar explains, “We believe the widespread support speaks to the value of this initiative – students see an opportunity to learn without taking on a large debt, and businesses see the potential in supporting skill based education.” Several businesses have become founding members, including C&A, who have committed $400,000 in financial contributions and in-kind services over the next 4 years to Prepr Foundation.

In anticipation of the August 2013 launch of Open Prepr, the foundation has developed a content strategy and has committed to providing all content through a Creative Commons license. The foundation also applied and was accepted into the Open Courseware Consortium (OCW), the premier organization for higher education institutions and organizations offering Open Education.

However, Open Prepr is about more than content, it is about connecting with other learners and tackling tough problems with real world applications. Through this process students develop the skills for the future, including curiosity, critical thinking and collaboration. These skills combined with the study of entrepreneurship, innovation and project management will help students excel in a rapidly evolving world.

This was originally submitted by Prepr Foundation as a Press Release to PR web.